Easter 2016
Easter 2018
THIS IS US!
The Ref and I have been married for 28 years.
The Ref ... that's what he is doing right now to make ends meet a little better. He started reffing just after our second daughter was born, and it has kept us from going hungry or without a home many times. He's one of those that went to college and did not find a "good job" waiting for him when he got out. Through tenacity, he finally landed a job working for a tiny company that lasted almost 15 years ... then a job with HUGE company ... only to be on the front wave of massive layoffs a few months after we moved. We moved back to our hometown and have struggled financially ever since ... watching our nice "nest egg" for our next home and our retirement funds slowly disappearing. In 2006, he left McDonald's for his "dream job". In 2008, the job "let him go" and he started the job hunt all over again. The spring of 2011, he had a heart attack. We've been struggling ever since. ... He stays busy reffing, preaching at our small church (on a rotation) and occasionally hosts a Sunday Night radio show. Since 2012, he has worked as the People Manager for a local McDonalds. Not his dream job, but most days he actually enjoys the variety and the pace. For his birthday this year, he had his gallbladder removed. It really wasn't an option. He's an ENFP.
Listen to Sunday Nights - Hosted by Tim - Sunday's at 9PM
Story - our oldest at 23 and a second ENFP in our family. She loves to write books and has been publishing novels and short stories ... via Amazon since she turned 16. She loves writing and she loves mastering new crafts ... and then loses all interest. We consider her a miracle baby ... as we tried for years before she arrived. She is one of those that easily learn alone, and will stick with a topic or idea until she has mastered it or totally ignore what is of no interest. Ironically, she managed to stay 3 Science classes short of graduation until 2016. She can now proudly say that she is a homeschool graduate. On the flip side, she could probably pass several college exams in History and English. But the girl dances to her own stories.
Currently, she works at McDonald's a few days a week. She is exploring ways to get a Marketing Degree quickly without debt. And she is setting up her own business to help indie authors and those offering services to meet each other - called GiraffeCrafts. It's a spin-off a family joke about "rough drafts" and her ability to blow through doors ... "Oh, there goes our "rough giraffe" since she collects giraffes.
When the rest of us left in August, she stayed behind with our Aunt. She has been expanding into publishing and cover design for Indi books.
http://knittedbygodsplan.blogspot.com/
http://claraclassics.blogspot.com/
http://kendrasgiraffecrafts.blogspot.com/
Kendra E. Ardnek Author Page
http://eaglenestmom.blogspot.com/2013/02/story-turns-18.html
The Rough Giraffe - Radio Show - Friday Nights
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/eaglesnestbroadcasting
Song - our second born is 20 and has an INFJ personality. She is dyslexic and struggles with school. She loves music and saved up her own money to play the violin - and found a teacher. She loves animals and used to pretty much take care of our tiny barnyard by herself. We use to have goats, chickens, geese, ducks, rabbits, and a few other animals ... but she is down to one bunny. She is also my outdoor worker.
http://makingmeaservant.blogspot.com/
http://singingmiownsong.blogspot.com/
http://eaglenestmom.blogspot.com/2012/07/song-turns-fifteen.html
Over the past 3 years, our garden and animals have disappeared, victims of drought and flooding, and neighbor dogs and wildlife. Song has had more than her fair share of tough times and losses and such. For a short while, she was able to return to the horse therapy where she worked as a young teen, where they loved and encouraged her and are pleased with the young adult she is becoming. I've been so thankful for their help in raising her. She is aspiring to work with special needs kids, perhaps in counseling or horse therapy. She is also doing a lot of drawing and artwork, and currently producing a coloring book at a request, and does special orders for people. She is pretty good at capturing dogs in a portrait. She also has a flair for photography.
Heath issues and neighbors who have gone from friends to aggressive enemies (we have no idea what caused that) ... have left her searching for new avenues and living with relatives instead of home.
Currently, she lives an hour or so from us (much farther from our old home). She has a job as a nanny for a 3 year old, and she's working on going to college to learn occupational therapy.
Scholar is our only son, with an ENFJ personality. He's an eighth grader - he has a knack for learning that is more rare in a boy. Sure, he's wiggly and loves to get dirty with his cousins next door ... but he also loves to read, tell stories, and learn new things every day. He is sweet and loves people. The ref jokes that he'll either be a preacher or a politician when he grows up. His favorite colors are Red and Sunshine and Fire. His favorite subjects are Bible, History, and Science.
http://eaglenestmom.blogspot.com/2012/06/scholar-is-seven.html
He has recently started his own blog - https://thepathtowisdomandknowledge.blogspot.com/. He has also become quite handy on the computer, in the kitchen, and around the house. He is a delightful boy with a heart of gold, who dotes on his baby sister.
He has been quite amazed to have turned 13 ...
His new interests have included making games, making cartoons, learning to make movies, and animating figures that he draws. He's also started Algebra 1.
Sunshine is our third grader, with an INTJ personality. Our surprise ending and the sunshine in our life. She dances to her own songs and is not afraid to voice her opinions. She adores Scholar and has him quite wrapped around her 8-year-old finger. Most days she loves school and excels at most of her work. She is our princess girl - preferring to dress up in frills, lace, and sparkles.
http://eaglenestmom.blogspot.com/2012/10/happy-third-birthday-sunshine.html
And this is the point where I confess ... I have very few pictures of myself in my files. I'm sure my kids have some, but I don't generally take selfies!
And then there is me ... the Eagle Momma. I've been homeschooling since Story was a toddler - I taught some older children from the Christian school where I had taught at for 3 1/3 years - and have changed the way I school very much over the last 23 years. I'm a rare bird that loves to lesson plan and rehash curriculum to suit my needs. I'm an INTJ - and quite shy, but homeschooling is one of my passions. Teaching is another passion.
In 1988, I made a summer trip to Ecuador. Part of the time, I got to work with children, a few did not speak English. Especially fun that trip, was a pair of young teen Chinese students. They spoke Spanish, Chinese, and another language. I spoke a little Spanish. But somehow, I was able to get them and others to understand what I was saying when neither of us spoke the other language much or well.
I suffered a "very mild" stroke in October 2017, which has left me struggling with dyslexia issues that I had thought conquered, as well as balance and vision issues, I also lost 50 pounds. For the most part this has resolved itself, except for left/right .. it just takes about 10% longer than it used to. And fancy print can be very difficult to read. Otherwise, you would never know.
And I turned 50. The world has changed so much.
I'm packing to move trusting that we will have a new home to move into soon - our trailer is steadily losing ground - furnace quit, ductwork rusting, many outlets not functioning, water leaks, hot water tank went out, bug issues, amid smaller issues ... since the heavy rains and heavy freezes of the winter, our ability to keep ahead of emergency repairs has evaporated ... coupled with *neighbor problems* ... we feel we need to find a new home, we've been here temporarily for 15 1/2 years. Prayers are appreciated - as we are going to need a miracle house!
In August (last 2 days of July), we signed a lease on an apartment in the middle of town. It is on the large side for apartments, 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. But the best part is that our unit has a big tree in the courtyard beside our balcony and we can see the lake from there. There are ducks, birds, squirrels, and fish to enjoy every day.
http://eaglenestmom.blogspot.com/2012/06/happy-birthday-to-me-44-memorable.html
This year I've used a new schooling tool - you can see it at the top of my blog sidebar. School House Teachers. Awesome. I would not have managed our school after my stroke without it.
I also took advantage of two offers, Build Your Bundle and the Homeschool Convention Online... I'm still trying to wade through the hundreds of emails and things that I received via these, not to mention listen to those and several other video classes. Finding an income is my top priority, but the stroke, while not significant, left most of my dyslexia coping tools "damaged" and struggled to relearn them. On the plus side, I've lost 50 lbs and learned so much! Prayers for wisdom and inspiration and leading in money making would be forthcoming amidst all of the ideas that I am wading through.
Now, If I can just get my blog running again. I actually miss it.
As of now, I am working my way through joining the teachers at VIPkids, teaching children in China how to speak English. Prayers are appreciated! I have a lot of changes to make to my teaching parameters ... such as learning to keep my gestures inside the camera screen! And to change many of the phrases and names for phonics. Big A and small a ... not Capital A and Lowercase a ... Thankfully, I learned synthetic phonics in 1993!
